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Words to Help You Heal

Is Social Anxiety Having A Negative Impact On Your Life?

Do you get nervous and agitated before
social events such as weddings, parties or post work get-togethers? Do you feel
so anxious beforehand that you often contemplate not going, or imagine terrible
and embarrassing things happening if you do go?

If social anxiety is affecting your
ability to create meaningful relationships, or even just to feel confident and
happy, then it might be time to take a hold of the situation and get yourself
some professional help before it begins to have a larger negative impact on your life. Here are
a few ways in which professional therapy such as counseling, can help you
overcome your social anxiety:

It can help
you to recognize and understand your triggers:

It’s an important part of your
therapeutic journey is to try and understand why you struggle in certain social
settings, or what your triggers are, so that you go on to learn new coping
strategies. Some common triggers may include:

Meeting new
people either socially or at work

Talking to
someone in a position of authority

Dating
and/or intimacy

Voicing your
opinion

Performing
academically, athletically or at work, in front of others

Once you’ve recognized your triggers,
with your therapist you can begin creating a set of achievable goals that will
help you to change the way you react in certain social settings.

Therapy can
help you create a set of achievable goals:

Setting a goal to help you overcome
your social anxiety can be measurable, so that you and your therapist can
clearly see if you’re making any headway. It may not be enough, for example, to
simply say: “I want to not feel anxious when I’m meeting new people”, you may
need a specific goal to work towards, and your therapist will help you with
these.

Being able
to regulate your emotions:

A certain degree of anxiety is
expected and even accepted in some social circumstances, and it can be just as
important to learn how to regulate your associated emotions so that you are not
ashamed to be feeling that way, but instead can manage it to a level where you
can still successfully engage with others.

Eliminating your social anxiety may
not be feasible, but better dealing with your emotions, is entirely possible
with the help of a qualified therapist.

With
professional help, you’ll get all the support and encouragement you need:

Some well meaning friends and family
might tell you to simply ‘get over it’, or to ignore the problem and it will
eventually go away. Neither advice is healthy, but when you meet with your
therapist, you can talk openly about your concerns and feelings, and will
receive entirely non-judgmental help from someone who wants you to feel better
about yourself, and will continue to motivate you to do so.

If social anxiety is having a negative impact upon any aspect of your life and you’re ready to try and change things, then therapy may be the most fruitful path for you to take. Your therapist won’t judge you, will never give up on you and most importantly, will help you to start living a life in which you can feel happier and more confident in any situation.